More than 1,000 Kenyans nationals have been lured to fight for Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine.
Kenya’s National Assembly Majority Leader, Kimani Ichung’wah told MPs, with reference to intelligence reports that “rogue recruitment agencies and individuals in Kenya" were involved in sending citizens to the conflict zone. According to the report submitted to parliament on Wednesday by Kenya's National Intelligence Service, NIS, that as of February 2026, some 89 Kenyans were on the front lines of the Russia–Ukraine war.
The NIS revealed how recruitment companies had collaborated with immigration officers, airport staff, officers at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), anti-narcotics officers and National Employment Authority officers to facilitate the mercenaries’ travel to Russia.
Ichung'wah claimed that the agencies had also been colluding with Russian and Kenyan embassy staff in Moscow for ensuring that recruits were provide with Russian visas. He told parliament that a report by the National Intelligence Service revealed 89 Kenyans were fighting on the front lines, 39 had been hospitalized, 28 were listed as missing in action, several had since returned home, and at least one fatality had been confirmed. The report further identifies the recruitment agencies said to have facilitated their travel to Russia.
The Russian embassy in Kenyan capital Nairobi denied allegations, saying in a statement on Thursday that it never issued visas for anyone travelling to Russia to fight in Ukraine, adding that Russia “does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the armed forces.”
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